Be Proactive
by EarlyMorningWriter
Summary: (Part one of a seven part series.) Danny and Kara attempt to deal with the first news of the Red Flu. Set during the episode 1, Phase Six.
1. Chapter 1 - Another One Bites the Dust

This is just a little part one of a three part filler piece that joins my previous fic (Hard Habit to Break) to Season 1. It's not perfectly canon but it's close. Little fillers sometimes have important consequences though. Remember when Laura Ingall's family spent the winter on the shores of Silver Lake? Tar paper, rags, and pitch stuffed between the logs were all that kept them from freezing to death.

**Another One Bites the Dust, Queen**

September 4, 2014

As soon as the one helo went down and the others sped off, Danny and Dr. Scott turned back toward the pickup site. Ahead of them, Benz and Dr. Trophet pulled to a stop at the top of the hill that lead down to the water. Adrenaline pumped through Danny and he heaved for breath and he heard Dr. Scott gasping behind him. "Are you injured Ma'am?"

She took a minute to reply. "No, No, Lieutenant Green. With great thanks to your dog, I am OK."

They watched as anti missile flares and smoke wreathed the ship and it came about hard toward starboard. From this distance the helo's looked like toys but Danny knew without a doubt that they were lethal and depending how they were armed, capable of seriously crippling the ship. One helo launched a missile but it was intercepted just yards from the starboard flank. Dr. Scott gasped with horror as the Cwieks spewed and brought the bird down.

Here on the ice they were practically defenseless but Danny still felt a moment's relief when it looked like the second helo was turning away from the ship to return to the ice. A few yards away, Frankie readied the RPG just in case. Suddenly, the helo burst into flames, the result of a 5" shell no doubt. Immediately he began wondering where the heck had those guys came from and what did they want?

He tapped his comm. "Tiger team requesting retrieval ASAP."

Mason's voice was a little shaky "Saber Hawk One is readying for launch. ETA 15 minutes. What's your team status Lieutenant Green?"

"We are all fine. I am going to go back and sweep for prisoners as soon as it looks like we're go for pickup. Dr. Scott has her samples. I'd like a team to come on ice to examine the attack site. I'd bet my weight in gold those guys were Spetsnaz. What's your status?"

There was a pause from Mason. As soon as Danny asked it, he realized what a strange question it was for him, as someone outside the command structure of the ship, to even ask. But he had to know if Kara was OK. It could be hours before he got back to ask her himself. In the distance the ship slowed from the speed it was using during evasive maneuvers. "CO concurs. Cobra team will join you on the ice. And we are also all fine Lieutenant."

Forty five minutes later the two teams were done examining the site and the one wounded prisoner was strapped into a stretcher for Chandler to deal with. As far as he could tell, these had been highly trained operatives but there wasn't much else to be gathered from the wreckages. As the gloom of late evening fell it was becoming bitterly cold. The prisoner passed in and out of consciousness and Danny begrudgingly allowed Dr. Scott to treat him after Cruz and Burk gave him a quick once over for weapons. As they neared the ship he caught himself alternately staring at the upper port windows and scanning the horizon. He could see that two extra watch officers were also scanning with field glasses. Where the hell had those helo's come from?

Chandler was waiting on deck when they returned. Seeing Dr. Scott holding her arm Chandler's face clouded. "Lieutenant Green, I thought you said you were all ok."

Danny frowned and was about to reply that she had said she was OK when Dr. Scott cut him off snapping, "I am fine." She had apparently come out of her shock and now addressed the captain with a haughty tone that no one else on the ship, not even Slattery, could dream of getting away with. "I will clean it up in a minute. Right now it is very important that I get these samples to the lab."

Danny watched as Chandler fisted and released his hand by his sides. In four months he'd never seen him more than mildly perturbed but he was incensed now, and it wasn't at the mysterious Russian Commandos. "You need to see Doc Rios. Dr. Trophet can take your case to the lab."

"No, I need to see to my samples. It is more important than a scratch." They faced each other, toe to toe for a moment. Danny wondered who would give in first. The captain directed his frosty glare at him. "Lieutenant Green, would you please see Dr. Scott to her lab and call Doc Rios to attend her?"

The petite doctor huffed her displeasure at being given a babysitter but allowed him to hold the hatch. It wasn't lost on him that Chandler watched them go.

After releasing her into Doc Rios' capable hands, he headed for the upper decks. Using the aft ladder, he passed by the CIC on his way to the wardroom. There was no sign of Kara but no one seemed too upset either. Doc Rios certainly hadn't sounded pressured. She's OK. You'd know if she wasn't, he thought to himself. He made himself continue on to the wardroom despite his desire to pass through and just casually check a little deeper.

Some of his tension left when he entered the wardroom and saw she was there. She was leaning over the table with her back to him discussing some maps with Barker, Gator, Slattery, Jeter, and Granderson but he recognized her form instantly. She looked tense and he wished he could just slide his hands up her back and massage some of the tension away. He did the first thing he came up with to comfort her without raising suspicions and motioned to Halsey to go her.

When Kara felt the dog brush her leg she turned, and her wide eyes frantically searched him. He wanted to take her hand or say something to assure her that he was OK but he knew he couldn't. Slattery looked up from across the table. "Ah, Green, good. We might need some info from you. The CO is trying to get in touch with the Pentagon but in the meantime, let's figure out what we can." The XO motioned him over to the table and he stepped up to the other side of the dog. Seeing he was ok for herself, she took a deep breath and launched into the briefing.

"Radar indicated the five helo's coming down on your team about 15 seconds before you saw them. This is consistent with their direction of approach with the mountains to the west shielding them. Debris and the uniform of the prisoner we recovered are also consistent with your earlier assessment that they were Spetsnaz operatives." He saw her shudder at the idea. "They were flying Mi-28's which have a 230 mile range." She slid a laptop across the table showing the range overlaid on the map. Except for Greenland to the West, most of the area was open water.

Barker jumped in before Slattery had a chance to ask. "I've already asked my team to assess probable origin points Sir." Danny gripped the edge of the table. Here Kara was doing a good job leading the briefing and Barker just had to grab some of the credit for himself.

Granderson and Gator exchanged a loaded look. Apparently this was normal behavior for Barker. "Indeed Sir." Gator answered. "In fact there isn't a base or airstrip or any fuel source that we know of within range so they probably came from a ship."

Kara pulled a piece of paper to the top of the pile on the table. "These are the types of ships that could carry five or more Mi-28's." Clearly she had anticipated this line of questions.

Danny noted the list included some Chinese and Japanese ships as well. "Those guys were definitely Russian. So I think we could narrow down the list further."

"Agreed." Kara circled three ships with a red pen. "If we break silence to ask the Pentagon for help, we should ask for a review of satellite images over.." She typed something on the laptop and the range circle expanded. "..this area to account for ship movement."

Slattery was tapping a finger on the table. "Barker, how wide an area could we sweep to the East if we activated passive sonar only."

Barker scrunched up his brow. "With the temperature and water density up here, maybe about 150 miles. Somehow they already knew our position though so there's nothing to be gained by keeping silent. We might as well go active and sweep the whole range. The only other option is to use our own helo or the UAV to do an aerial survey."

Slattery nodded but he didn't make any orders. "I don't like being blind to the west either but our orders are to remain silent. Foster, what do you think about the helo or UAV?"

"I agree that we shouldn't deliberately give away our position. If we set a course east-south east to get ourselves away from being trapped against the coast it will increase our maneuverability and improve our ability to monitor anything incoming from the west."

Slattery's lips were set in a grim line as he looked between Barker and Foster. Both were excellent officers but he liked Foster's thinking better.

"Sir, if I can add something." Danny leaned over the table and pointed to the ship list. "All of these ships carry more than five birds. I think regardless of what we do for communication we need to move immediately. Unless it's this one.." he tapped the picture of a helo carrier "..it's nuclear powered so we're not going to outrun them if it comes to that. But if they are truly west of us, we can get out of their helo range by getting away from the coast."

Slattery looked to Granderson and Gator who were now bent muttering over the map. "Assuming it's a Vyerni class and they are close to shore, I'd guess they are around here." Granderson nodded in agreement with Gator. "We could be out of range in about two hours Sir."

Slattery looked around the room. Everyone was nodding. "Alright. We're going to stay silent for now but I want us ready if and when Chandler decides to go offensive. Barker, you're on in the CIC now anyway so get the UAV ready but keep it grounded. Foster, get some preliminary missile points cued up for the intersection location." Barker acknowledged the order, satisfied that his suggestions hadn't been ignored. Kara nodded as well before glancing Danny's way. For the most part, Danny hadn't really seen Slattery in command before. During the few crisis that had occurred, Danny had been out on the ice. He liked the way the XO had taken input without allowing Barker to turn it into a competition. Plus, he not only made a decision, but prepared for the next possible step as well.

Slattery turned to the rest of them. "Granderson and Gator, head back up to the bridge and get us going on a course out of here.

Aye Sir." Granderson turned on her heel and hurried off.

He turned his intense gaze on Danny. "Who's on for the teams right now?"

"Before I came up here I sent Smith down to the armory with a couple ensigns to ready some RPGs, just in case we need them in a hurry. Bercham is helping Burk, topside with Cruz and O'Connor, assigning them stations on the mounted guns. Burk has the rest of his team in racks Sir and we'll rotate out with Benz and Miller next."

Slattery tapped a finger on his forehead. "Good thinking Lieutenant. I know I haven't mentioned this before, but it has not been overlooked, how well you and Burk coordinate. We've already got some official notes in the works for both your files commending the way you have integrated your teams. When things settle down I want to go over them with you, make sure we're pointing the brass in the right direction, career wise. Good job out there today."

Danny was surprised. He hadn't felt like he'd done anything special. In fact, today was only the third time he'd felt he did anything that used his unique skills on this entire cruise. "Ah, thank you sir. This mission is quite unusual for me and I'm trying to learn as much as I can while I'm here." He tried not to sound like Barker, but feared he came off as just as much of an eager beaver as the TAO had a while earlier.

"Ah, well I've seen your record and you're ripe for advancement so I suspect that's why you landed here, to get a little more breadth on your resume. Anyhow, keep it up and we should talk sometime about how you guys can both work on showing you're ready to take on larger commands."

Ordinarily, Danny would have felt elated. No matter what he did he always wondered if being the son of an admiral had given him an unfair advantage. But over time on the Nathan James he'd come to trust that Chandler was a straight shooter. And now he could see that Slattery was as well. A little embarrassed to be feeling so inordinately proud of himself in front of Kara he made his escape. "Thank you Sir. I'll go brief Burk now."


	2. Chapter 2 - I'll Be There For You

I think half the reason middle schoolers and teenagers get so dramatic about little hurts that seem so inconsequential to their parents is that they are learning coping strategies for the big tragedies that come later in life. But some life events are so incomprehensible, so huge, that even a terrible childhood could not prepare someone to handle it. Yet somehow we usually do. One of the most beautiful things is when people (and animals) come together in mutual support.

**I'll Be There For You, Bon Jovi**

An hour later Kara found herself staring, slack jawed, at the screen as the CO finished addressing the crew. He had said "I have news." and she been so excited to hear those words. There was always a moment of suspense when they came out of a silent period. But this time she almost couldn't believe what she had heard. Around her there were a few sniffles, but otherwise the CIC was unnaturally still. They had been here, having an ordinary uneventful cruise for four months while millions of people, make that billions had died worldwide.

She sat down numbly and began jotting down what Chandler had said, lest some important detail be forgotten in her haze. She couldn't comprehend it really. He had said 19 out of every 20 people worldwide were already dead or dying. It was and air borne virus and there was no effective treatment. Chandler had listed off countries without functioning governments, Russia, Great Briton, China, Canada, Germany, India, Australia. He hadn't said the US, but the implication had been there loud and clear. And this Dr. Scott and Dr. Trophet were actually working on a cure. But they were a long way from it and didn't even know if they had the samples they needed yet.

It was too much to process at once. They had just spent four months working their asses off on a fake weapons test while the real mission had been to find a cure. They had been here, working hard, having a good time while their families and friends had been at home dying. She thought of the farm in Rose Hill. She had asked her mother to move. Told her she'd feel better with her in Norfolk. Now she wasn't so sure that had been a good idea. At least in Kansas she could have isolated herself before the virus reached that part of the country. She would have had a chance at sustaining herself from the land. In Norfolk? A crushing guilt gripped her followed rapidly by searing anger. The Navy could have told them what they were doing, could have given them a chance to say goodbye. Despite being nearly elbow to elbow with other officers, she felt suddenly very alone in the world. What if Danny and her friends all rushed off to find their families when they got back to Norfolk?

Nineteen out of Twenty dead meant only five percent surviving. The reality was that most of them were probably alone in the world now too. She looked around the CIC. Barker just sat in his chair looking despondent. A few people were praying. Nishioka was punching keys on his computer like he wanted to hurt something. Slattery had calmly informed them that they would set up a system to attempt calls home ASAP but as she looked at her colleague's blank faces, she realized that for most of them it was going to be too little too late. She had given, they all had given, their everything to the Navy. And in return they had been denied the chance to spend their last moments with loved ones? She felt deeply used. But she was alive. A little voice in her head reminded her. She was alive and Danny was still alive. Imagine if they hadn't been here. What if she had said goodbye and never seen him again? One or both of them could have died (or lived), without knowing that the other hadn't really wanted to break it off.

Eight bells sounded and the personnel for the next shift entered wordlessly. The handoff was eerily silent, like no one had anything to offer because everyone was too busy processing what they had learned. She watched as Barker wordlessly got up from his seat and walked out without his usual briefing to the next watch or even to Ensign King, who would be working that station next. The woman looked to Kara with panic in her eyes as he exited. Kara took in her rumpled uniform, raccoon eyes, messy hair. She was probably only 21, maybe 22, just a kid. Taking a deep clearing breath she crossed the room to ask in a low voice "Are you OK Emily? The young woman nodded mutely. "Are you up for doing this?" She didn't know what she would do if King said no, she was nearing the end of 12 straight hours herself, but she felt it was the right thing to ask.

The younger woman closed her eyes, imitated Kara's deep breath, and nodded. Mission accomplished, she thought to herself. She looked around at all their faces and realized she couldn't be angry at Barker, or let them think he had abandoned them. She spoke loudly enough for the entire C.I.C. to hear. "Good. I will be hitting my rack and trying to sleep. Many of you will recall that Commander Barker has four kids and a wife back in Virgina. If anything happens I want to be notified first and I will decide if we need to get him." Heads were nodding.

"Yes Ma'am" Emily's chin wavered a bit but Kara could see that a little bit of purpose would help her hold it together. "In the meantime…" Kara briefed them on the movement offshore, and weapons readiness, being sure to keep her voice smooth and steady. "You heard the Captain. We've got important work to do. Ensign, you have the C.I.C." She met the eyes of people around the room and knew she might regret it later, but she had done the right thing. She headed immediately to the wardroom for some food.

After five hours rushing around, checking on people and equipment, Danny was finally able to sit down in the wardroom. He had his head on the table, one hand in Halsey's fur when the XO strode in. He knew he needed to get up to eat but he was just so bone tired. Besides, he was stalling in the hopes that Kara would come in here when she was done in the CIC.

"Am I correct that you've been up since 0500?" Danny could tell Slattery was ready to give him a hard time if he said he could go without sleep, but he didn't need to worry. He knew better than to function at half strength.

"Yes Sir. But both Burk and Benz ended up wanting to try to contact their families."

Slattery nodded, his face grim. "What about you? Did you get through to anyone?"

"Nah" He hadn't even considered trying. He just wanted to talk to Kara. "I figure the Admiral is either dead or knows I'm ok. My mother was in New York so.." He didn't finish. Chandler had talked about rioting and hot zones and New York had come up both times.

"Still no one has gotten anything from Norfolk? Nothing from your girlfriend?" Slattery hung his head and stared into his empty mug. Danny was surprised he had remembered, but then he figured that like everyone, he wanted to know about how things were in the Norfolk area. He knew the XO had three kids.

"Permission to enter, Sir." Kara stood in the doorway. Her shoulders drooped and her hair was crooked. She looked wrung out, exactly the way he felt.

"Granted Foster." When Danny turned back to Slattery he saw that the other man was looking expectantly at him. "Ah, she's not in Norfolk Sir." The XO turned his gaze to Kara and together they watched her take down a bowl.

"Well, maybe it was fate Lieutenant." Slattery looked at his watch confused "Foster, it's unlike you to miss dinner." Danny saw Kara eye the remaining sandwiches with distaste and take down a cereal box. He set his own sandwich back down on his plate and busied himself with some salad. Slattery rolled his eyes. "You're already five hours overdue for some rack time. You know it is also your duty to take care of yourself. You need to eat more than cereal." She was moving slowly, like her arms were made of lead. If this had been a training activity and Danny saw one of his men look like that, he would have been sending them to rest too.

"I know sir. Barker wasn't up to his briefing so I took care of it and I haven't had a chance to eat since noon." Danny felt a moment's anger at Barker. She looked like she was barely holding it together and that self serving jerk had left her to do his work?. Danny watched as Kara examined the XO out of the corner of her eyes while she poured the milk. The XO's face became hard and he pushed back his chair. "Barker left behind four kids Commander." She reminded the XO with a sigh.

Thinking he'd distract the XO before he could reprimand Kara for covering for another officer Danny asked, "Any word from your family Sir?" The XO jerked to his feet, his body language stiff and awkward and Danny knew he'd struck a nerve. Kara pulled back the corners of her mouth in a grimace and shook her head. Apparently she knew something he didn't about the XO's family. Slattery turned his back on the table to pour himself a coffee, sighing when he found the milk empty but he didn't answer Danny about his family. That couldn't be good.

"Sorry sir. Kara shrugged sheepishly as she sat next to Danny. "Just put the last in my cereal."

Slattery poured the cream instead and stared silently into his mug as he swirled in a spoon of sugar. After a moment he squared his shoulders and turned toward them. "I forgive you Foster. Maybe today is a day to live large, eh? You did fine work today too. That interception saved all our butts." Danny felt his stomach drop to his feet. She'd caught that one on manual? He hadn't realized quite how close the ship had come to near disaster. It would have hit them right at the level of the CIC. He kept himself from grabbing her close right then and there by busying himself making a couple soups for Halsey instead. The dog rose with him and stood, tail wagging against her chair.

She ducked her head modestly. "We got lucky sir. I just happened to have the screen up for the battery controls because I was practicing for the next evaluation. The alarm sounded and I fired it almost without thinking." Danny began filling the soups with water but he had to set them down when he realized his hands were shaking.

"Well, I know you don't like to dwell on these things, but you've done us proud once again. Between the missile and the five inch shells, you took out at least fifteen of those Russian fuckers. That's a pretty awesome day's work. Now get some rest, both of you, seriously. I suspect Chandler is going to keep us on alert until we have confirmation of new orders." Slattery nodded to Danny and then to Kara. "I mean it now. You two should get in bed as soon as you finish eating. That's an order." When Kara gave a shocked bark of laughter a stripe of color appeared high on the XO's cheeks. "I mean your racks, plural of course." He gave them a flustered wave as he headed for the bridge calling out. "You know what I mean."

Danny realized he had gripped one of the foam cups so hard in his shock at the XO's words that soggy cold noodles were now running over his thumb and plinking into the sink. Kara turned her chair away from the door with a nervous laugh. "You're ruining his dinner. Here, give me that." She rose and took the cup from his hand and poured the cold soup into a bowl. Halsey inched up behind her, tail wagging his whole body now. Pivoting away from the microwave she met his eye and began to laugh. "What?"

He mentally shook himself. She didn't want him worrying over her. She wanted him to let her do her job. "You, being so domestic. Do you even know how to cook?" He tried to relax but the tension was still there in his chest. She had almost been seriously injured or killed today and there was nothing he could have done about it.

"No, but despite how it appeared last time, I'm a pro at microwaving."

"And shooting things it seems." She winced and seemed to shrink into herself and he realized he'd said exactly the wrong thing. "You don't like to think too much on that aspect of the job, huh?" He remembered when he'd first moved from training to real assignments, feeling eager to prove himself. He'd dutifully followed orders and had to fire on or fight enemy combatants several times over the first few years and it hadn't bothered him at all.

The first time it did really get to him was a few years later when a translator they were working with had led a whole team, including himself, Frankie, and his dog Tarne, to a supposed safehouse to regroup after being ambushed. They had been transporting a group of refugees across a hostile territory and the attackers had come out of no where leaving many dead and crippling their transportation. He'd already been tired and angry and pretty sure he had a broken rib. Still, he'd instinctively palmed his knife when Tarne had reacted outside the building. The second the door opened and three Somali's rushed them, his commanding officer had given the order to fight back, and it had been brutal, face-to-face fighting. The translator had turned on him and kicked him in the exact spot he'd already been hurt before he even fully realized what was going on. He'd ended up being the one to take the translator out, and the degree of satisfaction he'd felt when the guy gave his last breath had scared him.

Later, when he'd been laid up in Landstuhl they'd sent a counselor to talk with him. He still remembered the one thing the guy had said that helped. "It sucks to have to hurt people as part of our jobs. But don't forget, you just saved a ton of people too."

Kara 's lips twisted in a grim smile. "I know. And I'd do it again. I just hate that it came so easily to me." The microwave dinged and she took out the soup and tested it with her finger. Finding it warm but not too hot, she poured it slowly into a bowl and set it on the floor for the dog and then gestured to Danny to hand her the second foam cup.

He moved a little closer, leaning back against the counter by her side. He picked up one of the sandwiches left on the tray and nodded toward his plate. "Sorry, I already ate half of the last roast beef but you can have what's left."

She half smiled and leaned over the table to take the plate. "It feels ridiculous to fuss over a sandwich after those news clips of people killing each other for food today, but I'll never understand why the kitchen puts cheese on a tuna sandwich. I just don't have the stomach for it right now."

They stood and ate quietly. It was completely against protocol to eat standing up in the wardroom but he felt like if he sat back down he might lack the energy to get up again. Kara had her arms crossed over her chest as if she was cold and she was watching the dog eat rather than looking at him. "You do realize that we were sitting ducks out there on the ice. If you hadn't taken down that last helo they would have made another pass at us and I don't know how we would have fared the second time around."

The microwave dinged and she poured the next cup into the dog's bowl. As she rose she met his eyes and he saw why she had been avoiding his gaze before. Kara, who was always so unshakable, was scared. "Believe me. I am well aware of that. I haven't stopped thinking about the consequences since it happened." Her voice was rough and quiet.

He leaned in closer. "Well, we are both still very much alive for now. Finish your sandwich and then let's go get some sleep. We'll feel better on a full stomach and fresh legs."

Once she started eating, Kara was on a roll. After the sandwich and the cereal she ate some fruit and a yogurt as well. He sat quietly by her side, nursing a coffee and stroking the dog's ears. Finally she reached under the table, she patted Danny's leg, and then tossed her napkin beside her plate. "I do feel better now. Every time someone comes in I think about how horrible it would be if they were down in the infirmary or worse, dead."

"Good. Ready to follow Slattery's orders now?" He pulled back her chair for her and they placed their dishes in the bin. Halsey scrambled to his feet, having finished his soup and a cup of kibble. They walked along the p-ways silently and Danny was touched how many people stopped them to say how glad they were that things had turned out OK on the ice or to thank Kara for the good hit on the missile.

They passed the main mess and it was a cacophony of suppositions and anxiety. Danny was glad they had eaten in the wardroom because he didn't think either he or Kara had the energy to deal with the complexities of social interaction right now. Even Halsey looked tired as he shuffled along in front of them. They rounded the corner to the p-way with their staterooms. Two people were talking at the door to the bathroom but otherwise it was empty. They exchanged a meaningful look. It was only 9 PM and many people who weren't on duty would be around at this time. He didn't want to say anything so he just passed into the bathroom while she went into her own room. When he came out the p-way was empty but Kara's door was half open and he could see her shower basket on the desk.

He edged up to the door. She was holding a picture of a group of friends laughing around a campfire. He recognized Carlton, Georgie, Alicia, and Sarah in the group. When she looked up and saw him there she smiled. "This was right after we got back from Africa last year. Georgie set up a camping trip to celebrate. You know she was assigned to the Nathan James until this cruise, right?"

"Yeah, Frankie might have mentioned it once or twice… or fifty times. I hope she's still interested because she's all he talks about. Probably all he thinks about."

Kara smiled and for the first time since he came off the ice, he saw it reach her eyes. "She has that effect on people." She tucked the picture back in the locker. "I was just missing her. She actually started fixed wing but switched because she didn't want her primary role to be assault. We've been bunk mates several times, so we've had all the long conversations about the morality of warfare over the years." She picked up her towel.

He nodded and backed out the door, understanding her need to process a little more. "Alright." He was pretty sure she had hardly slept all night the time he was on the ice in the storm. He knew she was a worrier, and he knew how quickly that could wear a person down. "But don't stay in there too long. You need some rest." He spoke softly.

"I'm OK. Really."

Twenty minutes later Halsey raised his head and his tail thumped against the floor. She opened the door without a whisper of sound and the dim red light from the passageway swept briefly through his room. He'd begun to wonder whether she was coming or not. She shut the door immediately and then fumbled with her phone to turn on the flashlight. As she tiptoed around the dog he saw that she had on PT gear instead of a full uniform and her hair was damp. He shuffled against the wall and patted the mattress beside him. Wordlessly, she toed off her trainers and placed them under the bed in the place he had come to think of as hers. He wasn't sure exactly what she was expecting, but he had been already half dozing. Somehow he had the feeling he'd also sleep easier if he knew she was safe beside him. She slid out of her shorts and laid them over a desk chair and then sat in the curl of his legs. "I really am tired."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her down until her head was laid over his other arm and his body was curled around hers, their legs tucked together. "Then you should put aside your worrying and sleep." He whispered in her ear. "I'll wake you if it's necessary." He didn't care that her damp hair was laying cold against his neck or that he had his bare back against the bulkhead so that there was enough blanket to tuck around her. He lay quietly and listened to her breathing slow. They laid like that for a while as slowly, ever so slowly she relaxed against him. When her breathing finally deepened and her hands relaxed from where they had been gripping the blanket to her chest, he was finally able to sleep as well.


	3. Chapter 3 - Running Up That Hill

**Warning** If you are wondering why this fic had an M rating, this chapter is why. Please proceed only if you are comfortable with consenting adults enjoying the things in life that are reserved for consenting adults.

I had a very hard time writing this. How do people of seeming integrity and dedication to their duties end up in the situation Danny and Kara did? The options are either a total accident/birth control failure, or an emotional response that overwhelms their normal logic and reasoning. I went with the second option because it's sweeter somehow. Besides, when Danny told Kara she was pregnant and she cried, she didn't look like she cried in horror the way she would if it was totally unwelcome. So I decided a few words had to be said on the topic in advance.

**Running Up That Hill, Kate Bush**

Danny woke to the feel of small hands rolling him onto his back. Curious, he kept his eyes closed and waited to see what she did next. After a few seconds of quiet shuffling around there was a rustle and then swish as she must have removed her tee shirt. He grinned into the dark, liking where this was heading. The mattress sank as she knelt on the edge and his heart rate began to rise, along with his cock. He felt the brush of her hair across his chest moments before soft lips landed on his collarbone. He sucked in a breath at the sensation. Her lips felt about 100 degrees in comparison to the chill of his cabin. She swung a leg over him and when she came down he felt her bare heat through his shorts. He was rock hard and pressing against her instantly.

When she shifted over him, teasing herself with the slide of her exposed flesh over his shorts, he knew couldn't continue to play sleep any longer. He reached for her with one hand while pushing up to sit with the other. He was about to ask what the heck she thought she was doing when she pulled him up so their chests melded together and cut off his speech with a searing kiss. He couldn't help but kiss her back. While Kara wasn't usually coy, she wasn't usually so aggressive either. But right now she was gripping his hips with her knees so tightly he thought he might have bruises later.

She broke for air and he used the opportunity to swing his feet over the side of the bed, bringing her with him so that she was kneeling over his lap, hands on his shoulders for support. "What is this?" He buried his face between her breasts and began to kiss the sensitive underside of one while he awaited her answer. She let her body fall back slightly into his hands and he felt the muscles of her back, firm and strong, beneath his fingers as she bent pliantly in his hands.

"I woke up thinking about what you said yesterday, about still being alive." He was circling one breast with kisses just to hear her gasp now. She was kneading his shoulders with her hands in a way that made him think of a cat. He thought he'd like to hear her purr but was just as satisfied when she let out a low moan as he finally took one of her delicious hard nipples into his mouth.

"Yeah?" he sucked gently and wished he had even a dim light so he could see her. He felt her hair brush the hand braced against her back as she arched her back and pressed into him and he had a feeling he would have enjoyed the sight. "And being alive made you think about this?"

"Sure, if we're all going to die soon, I don't want to waste my time on the wrong things."

"I'm not going to let us die anytime soon." He mumbled into her skin. "But even so, this is the right thing?"

"Mmmhum. Best part of being alive, don't you agree?" She shifted so he could take her other breast in his mouth, rolling her ripple with his tongue to draw a sigh of pleasure from her. "Nevermind all that. Stop talking. Just don't stop doing that." He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. She might not have meant to, but she kept rocking her hips into his lower belly and the slick feel of her was teasing him mad. He sure as hell didn't want to stop but a little voice in his head was reminding him not to let things get too far out of control. But damn it if she brushed against him that way again his eyes were going to roll all the way around and back again.

He gripped her hips and held her still up against him kissing the soft skin under her jaw, thinking it would help if she wasn't wiggling all over him. He was wrong, he could smell her arousal and the way her thighs were trembling was so incredibly sexy that it didn't matter. He had to stop this before things went too far. He lifted her and set her so she was sitting back astride his knees and there were a few inches between them. A little breathless and now aching for her to scoot closer, he set his temple to hers so he could speak softly. "What time is it?"

She whispered as well. "0400, we have plenty of time." She tried to scoot in closer but he held her firm.

"You know we only have that one really old condom left." God, he hated being at sea right now. What kind of torture was this?

If he thought putting some distance between them was going to stop her, he had thought wrong. She slid one hand into his shorts and wrapped it around his straining flesh. The silky feel of the underside of her wrist brushing the underside of his cock was almost too much. "Kara." He groaned as his face fell forward over her shoulder "This is a bad idea." Still, he shifted ever so slightly so she could ride on one of his knees. He knew she liked it. She instantly rocked against him and he was sure he could get her off that way if they kept going. But she was sliding her hand up so her thumb could smooth the moisture from his tip back down over the ridge on the underside and while he was sure he'd enjoy it, she was making him hungry for something else. He wondered if she would always be able to drive him this crazy so easily. She tilted her head and he captured one ear between his teeth, laving the lobe with his tongue in the way he knew gave her goosebumps.

"It. Is. A. Good. Idea." She ground down on his leg again and he felt the slick slide of her there against his bare skin. He wanted to bury himself in her so badly but he knew he couldn't do it. She had made it very clear that her career meant just as much to her as his did to him and he wouldn't take that kind of risk, not with her trust. "Besides, it's the best time for it." She stopped teasing him and placed her hands on either side of his face, holding him steady with a firm grip.

He recalled all the things they had learned yesterday. The horror of Chandler's words. The news images they'd seen later in the day. "In the middle of a probable apocalypse?" That did cool his ardor somewhat.

"No." She shook his head slightly. "I meant by the rhythm method. You know what that is, right?"

"You can't be serious? What I know is the old joke. What do you call people who use the rhythm method?" In the pitch black he felt her freeze in anticipation of the punchline. "Parents Kara, you call them parents." For a moment the only sound was just the the soft pants of their frustrated breaths.

"If we're all going to die, would that be so bad anyway?" She whispered. He kissed her instead of answering. It had only been two weeks since she'd gotten over the last time she'd freaked out and broken things off. He wasn't stupid enough to scare her off again telling her it wouldn't be bad at all. "Besides, my mother told me that's how there were six years between me and Sean. It totally works."

"Yeah, well there was only one year between your brothers so I'm thinking it takes some practice. I'm not sure now is the time for that."

She wasn't wheedling or coy when she said "I don't want to screw anything up any more than you do. I promise you it's ok. I just had my period until two days ago so we're in the ideal window when the probability is something like less than ten percent. I would not do that to you. You have to know that about me by now."

He chuckled but immediately regretted it when her body jiggled on his knees. Christ, he tried to think about how horrible life might be when they got home. But now that the image of her round with his child, clearly off the market to anyone else, had taken up residence in his mind, he knew he was going to give in. In the back of his mind a little voice was cautioning him that this was just a reaction to the events of the day before. Still, another little voice was rejoicing that this was her idea, and that meant she hadn't objected to the consequences either.

"Besides, I am still really turned on and I'm sure that if you're not interested I could just go over to the junior's staterooms and find someone else who.."

"Like hell you will!" He pulled her closer and crushed her lips to his. She was going to kill him. It was that simple. He had no willpower whatsoever where she was concerned. If she told him to haul off and throw himself overboard he probably would, if it would make her happy. "How long is this window?"

She was already wiggling off his lap and trying to remove his shorts. "I'd say the ten percent window is about two or three days. She triumphed, as he heard his shorts land somewhere on the floor.

"Only two to three days for the entire month?" He tried to tamp down his disappointment. As soon as possible they were getting off this ship and getting to a drugstore.

She leaned over him, hands on the edge of the upper bunk, legs straddling his knees again. "No, it's not that bad. Then there's a fifteen percent window for two or three days. Then probably a week to ten days around fifteen to twently percent. And then back to something even lower again."

Ten percent sounded pretty impossible. If he had to cross an open space with a ten percent chance of getting shot he'd go for it without hesitation. He did some mental calculations. "If we round the middle of the month to a twenty percent chance of failure times say fifty percent for the iffy condom that's still only what, ten percent combined chance of failure? So I say we do our future selves a favor and save it."

She laughed softly. "Well it is more complicated than that. I have no idea how large the error bars are on those numbers and then there's the issues of independence, skewed distributions, kurtosis..." He cut her off with a heated kiss and the feel of her mouth, hot and wet and open for him sealed the deal. "I have no idea what you're saying but even when you're talking statistics you are incredibly sexy. How about you just tell me when it is OK?"

"OK." She whispered. "Now is OK."

He reached for her and pulled her body up from his knees again. This time there was nothing between them and the heat, the softness of her skin, the sound of her breath rushing past his ear as they melded together were his total undoing. He ran one hand down her centerline from her collarbone to her curls and she curved her back like a bow. He felt an answering urge to press himself into her. This certainly wasn't going to take long.

He slid his thumb over her clit and she murmured "I knew you'd see reason." As she spread her legs wider to grant him access, he decided he was done talking. He just wanted to hear her breath catch and he knew exactly how to make it happen. He stroked gently and felt her tilt her body as her head fell forward to rest on the edge of the bed above. The way she was leaning over him made it easy to take a breast in his mouth again. He sucked hard and was rewarded with the feel of her pulse quickening under his thumb. He drew his hand down slowly and she followed until his head was nudging at her entrance. He paused there and she made a whimper but didn't move other than to rock her hips and slide his head through her wetness. With her hands still gripping the bed above, her body was stretched over him and the sensation of her thighs shaking with the strain of holding herself there was incredibly arousing. He was done caring about probabilities and worrying and everything else. What he wanted right now was for Kara to be able to turn off her mind for a few minutes and feel him tell her he'd keep her as safe as he could, as long as he could.

He lowered his hand and she followed it to keep contact on her clit, lowering herself inch by dripping inch as he entered her. He wished he could see her face instead of just darkness. He imagined it then, the sweep of her hair over the delicate neck he was pressing kisses to, her lashes lying along her cheeks, lips pursed. He sucked in a little skin at her collarbone and she sucked in a breath to match. She lowered her hands to hold him and he shook his head. "Stay there. Let me." She sighed then, a nice breathy sigh, the kind he wanted to hear more of and he grinned against her skin. Removing the hand between them he lifted first one leg and then the other until they were wrapped cross legged behind him. She let him move her without resistance. Hands still hooked under her knees he shifted ever so slightly so she was leaning back and his thumbs could return to stroking her now straining and firm clit. "OK?"

She dropped her head back with a soft moan. "Yeah, better than OK."

It was different without the condom. He'd never trusted anyone to go without before and whether the slightly different texture and heat he was feeling were real or all in his head, he didn't care. The world outside was going crazy and she had come to him with her need. Come hell or high water he was going to give her what she needed. He rocked up into her and she gasped out a strangled "Yes". It only served to egg him on and he did it again. At this angle, they had to move together slowly but that was OK. She was already giving the little half gasps that meant she was near her end. He slid his thumbs along her folds, spreading her slippery wetness up to where he knew she'd like it. His fingers cupped her soft cheeks to try to control their motion but he was beginning to feel frantic too. Against his ear her heart beat chaotically and he felt her arms trembling above. When suddenly she was grinding herself into him in a match to his own urgency, he knew with triumph that he had succeeded in his quest to get her to stop worrying, even if only for a few minutes. He buried his face in her hair as he let himself join her, feeling her let go of the bed above and clutch at him. For one final moment they hung there, suspended in exquisite pleasure, before crashing together in a blinding release.

As he drifted back to reality he felt like the world had righted itself again. Everything else might be crazy but Kara was fine. She was right here, safe and warm in his arms where she belonged. Unsure if he had the energy to do anything but hold her on top of him, he tipped them back to lay crosswise on the bed. She was still having those amazing little fluttery aftershocks around him and he smiled into her neck where her pulse was beating against his lips. "Still OK?"

"Ohhhhkayyyy." She sighed and squeezed him a little tighter with her knees. It crossed his mind that it was crazy to feel so amazing, so joyful, when terrible things were happening in the world. But he couldn't help it. When he was with Kara he was happy. And now, as the sweat cooled on their bodies, he realized he had needed this too. In the light of what they'd learned yesterday, that every institution, every thing they did to protect humanity hadn't mattered against a tiny, invisible, deadly foe, this still mattered. He spread his hands wide over the skin of her back, holding her a fraction closer, realizing that they could never go back, and she mattered more than anything else now.

This chapter in no way means to endorse the rhythm method as an effective form of birth control. It should probably tell people something that those who use the method in reverse, to purposefully try to conceive, on average do not take fewer cycles than those that just go at it willy nilly. The biology of reproduction, like virology, is very unpredictable and individualized.


End file.
